How much hay when out 24/7

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Highflinger

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I have 3 good doer natives all around 14.2 on 4 acres out 24/7.. There was a lot of foggage which i had hoped would last until well after Christmas but they have munched through it at an alarming rate and has now all gone and all that is left is short grass. The land is sandy and well drained with little mud despite non stop rain. I am happy for them to lose weight over winter as this is as nature intended and 1 in particular gets fat in spring very easily. However I am not sure how much hay I should give as they seem to hoover up anything i put out very quickly and then stand around with nothing. I cannot use nets as there is no where to tie to - all natural hedging apart from one side which is plain wire and i prefer them to eat from the ground. I do scatter it around so they have to hunt for it. . If I put out a large round bale one would not stop until he exploded so I do need to monitor how much they get but not sure how much is reasonable. I go up twice per day . Not sure if it is worth halving the field and giving the rested half until say early Feb to grow a bit ( will it?) so they have something to graze on in late winter? We are in South East England so not too cold in a typical winter. I want them to have enough to keep occupied and something to be trickling through their stomachs but not too much that they hold or gain weight as I would like them to be leaner going into spring. Last year the grass was growing well for early March and I stopped hay apart from the odd frosty day after the first week in March and they were all too fat by early May.
 
Our grass is still growing in South Wales - I've only had to use the de-icer twice so far this winter so it's been very mild. I'd fence off half and see what happens. It sounds like the fields won't get too muddy and 3 on 2 acres for a few months over winter, with hay, shouldn't be too bad. You'll soon notice if it's growing or not and can abandon it if it's not working. I'm guessing they're about 450kg each? As they have access to 'some' grass and you'd like them to lose weight I'd go for about 1.5% of their bodyweight so that would make it about 20kg or one small bale a day.
 
When i was researching stomach acid in horses, i was surprised to read by one research group that horses produce more stomach acid during the day than at night when they all tend to snooze/slow down. Which led me to conclude that there is less risk of over acidity and ulcers due to lack of forage at night than the risk during the day.
So if ad lib feeding is getting them fat, put out majority hay in the morning, then some more in the evening, whatever evening schedule youre on.
 
I give the ponies who come in at night a Hay net each which lasts them all night, so I give the same amount to the out door ponies. I fill a Hay net each then tip it out into blue barrels. I give them way too much if I just estimate the amount and most ends up trampled and wasted.
 
Thanks Angelagain - yes round the 450kg. Gosh that is interesting Purbee - I had always put out more at night thinking it would be colder and they will need more . I feed roughly at 6am and 6pm so they have an equal time period but I willl change my stance and put more out am
 
Difficult one without seeing the pasture or condition of the horses.

I have two good-doer cobs, and right now they're in the only dry'ish field I have, which is about (guesstimate) say about two-and-a-half acres. They've been coming in overnight recently, simply to get them off the wet, where they've been having 12kg of hay overnight. The grass is quite good where they are so if they're out (as they are tonight as no rain forecast, haa haa bet it rains now) they won't have any hay. They are having two hard feeds a day.
 
Highflinger said:
Thanks Angelagain - yes round the 450kg. Gosh that is interesting Purbee - I had always put out more at night thinking it would be colder and they will need more . I feed roughly at 6am and 6pm so they have an equal time period but I willl change my stance and put more out am
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If yours are fat already and you want them losing weight, theyll lose weight overnight if forage is more scarce, because its colder and theyll burn calories to keep warm, providing theyre not clipped and out in the winter without a rug.
Mine have been fed at midnight and even with small holed nets finish it by 2am...they eat 1.5kg per hour through a small holed net. During the day they get 4 feeds spaced evenly..small and often. Theyre both pigs on 2% diet but not fat due to this regime.

Ive caved in this winter from the 5 feeds a day regime...which ive done only because theyre here with me...ive started trying an ad lib approach this winter this week for the first time ever. Theyve been parked at the huge bale since seeing it. They couldnt believe their eyes....they snorted at it thinking it was a hairy monster! Im going to have to restrict them from access to it 24/7 though, initially. One round bale lasts me just 2 weeks with 2 horses...when im measuring it out, so im yet to see if theyll regulate themselves to that or use it up quicker. i hope they self regulate, like they do when on grass.
 
We don't weigh hay and do it by eye but we have 4 living out and they eat roughly a small bale and a half a day between them. The four are on about 3 acres and at least 1 acre of it is basically mud at this stage and the rest is very poor as far as grazing goes, but I guess they eat what grows as soon as it appears! The 4 are a 16.2 ISH, a 16hh Appy, a Welsh X pony (approx 13.1hh) and a mini Shetland. The big two basically get two 'sections' each twice a day (once morning and once evening) and the small ones about half that. The two big ones are about perfect weight-wise and the ponies are chubby. They don't work but don't receive any hard feed.
 
My 3 get about a small bale and a half between them each day, split into a morning and evening offering. They are on about 2 acres with some very rough bits, and some drier better covered bits. They're average to good doers, lightly rugged (50 - 150g rugs at zero degrees overnight) and are all keeping condition well.

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My 3 field ornaments are on about 4 acres at the moment and looking very well ;) I chuck them the equivalent of a small bale once a day . They've still got a bit of foggage to go at so it's just a little top up to get them to come down to see me!
If the weather gets worse/colder then I'll double that in the first instance.
 
OP, you could keep them moving by dividing the field roughly in half. Shut them in the closest bit during the day with their hay ration and water tank, then at night open a gateway up (even a tape handle) so they can access the further part as well.
If weather gets really vile then add hay at night too. If snow falls you could shut them in the nearer part for convenience.
I find this works for mine as they get exercise in coming back for water and are closeby in the morning for checking or working.
They also are keen to go off to the 'new' bit, fools!
It will also keep any grass down when it starts growing in Feb or March. Or, you can then remove temp fence if easier.
I've got similar land which apart from a 0.7 acre paddock, drains and dries v quickly. I could still ride even now in my top paddocks!
 
Mine have 1 section each from a small bale in the morning, then a bucket feed in the afternoon. They've got a reasonable amount of grass left in their field and don't seem hungry, though are very happy to come for their hay/feed. I also have about 2.5 acres currently ungrazed so I'm doing okay for grass. They'll get more next week before Christmas and then they'll get the rest in January. I expect I'll need to up the hay at some point, especially if it stays this wet, but I'll just play it by ear and give them more if they seem hungry.
 
My 14.3h cob/ID gets half a slice of haylage in the morning - approx the same as two slices of hay from a small bale? He is in a smallish paddock on a hill with a (cross!) Shetland with fairly minimal grass now. Neither have any sort of 'stop' button and so would really like MUCH more but they are both maintaining weight and are fit and healthy. Mine is in work and gets a little more haylage when he comes in and about one-quarter of a scoop of competition mix.
 
Thanks everyone - that is really helpful. I think I have been too generous with hay and will cut back a bit and see how they go. Unfortunately one in particular has a Labrador appetite and seeing the huge mouthfuls he was stuffing in this morning he is going to have eaten his ration within about 30 mins. I must remember he is designed to forage on very poor grazing and probably his fairly short but still greenish field is better than he would find in the wild in winter. I must be strong and not give in to his pleading little face.....
 
I have 2 14/14.2 welsh cobs out on 5 acres of sandy soil. The grass doesn't really grow much in summer but I don't get mud in winter. You can't have everything.

Hay wise I'm currently putting a net/wheeliebin full out in a morning (7am) and then a wheelie bin and a hay net out at night. They get one feed a day in the evening (about 4.30pm). It generally means I go through a heston every 2 weeks.
 
Looking at my 15 hh cob's middle this morning, he's doing very well on 2 small slices a day, with one other pony on about 3 acres max. They've also pretty much eaten down the foggage which was opened up in October. They get one feed a day of Pure Working (he gets almost one Stubbs scoop). I'm going to lower the bucket feed, though or go back to Pure Easy, as he's rather sparky at the mo!
 
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